A man was yesterday sentenced to two years in jail after pleading guilty to charges of firearm and ammunition possession and armed robbery.
Steve Williams was brought before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in Georgetown, where the charges were read to him.
The first charge alleges that the accused at Bamboo Landing, North West District, on November 23rd, while armed with a gun, robbed Deneisha Stoll of 3 ounces of raw gold, valued at $660,000, $320,000 in cash, $20, 000 in cosmetics and, a $12,000 bottle rum. The stolen items were valued at $1,112,000 in total.
It was also alleged that on November 24th, at Hell Hill, Matthews Ridge, Williams had a 9mm pistol in his possession without being a licensed firearm holder.
On the said date, it is alleged that the accused had a round of 9mm ammunition in his possession without being a licensed firearm holder.
Williams pleaded guilty to all the charges.
Police prosecutor Gordon Mansfield noted that Williams worked in the Mabaruma Backdam and the complainant, Stoll, works as a sales clerk at a business establishment in the area. At t about 6 am on November 23rd, he said, Williams entered the establishment via a back window and while armed with a gun he demanded that the complainant hand over the money she had in her possession at the time. The prosecutor noted that Stoll, being afraid, handed over the articles to the defendant. After collecting the articles, Williams made good his escape through nearby bushes.
The attack was reported and the police, later acting on information received, arrested Williams the next day and questioned him. Williams was later taken to Hell Hill, where $86,600 in cash, 28 pennyweight of raw gold and the firearm and ammunition were retrieved.
When asked by the Chief Magistrate if he wished to say anything, Williams told the court, “Please see with me…. You could see mi ain’ waste ya time… please see with me.”
Williams was then sentenced to two years in jail for the robbery charge and fined $50,000 each for the firearm and ammunition charges along with two years for each offence. The defendant, however, will only spend two years in jail since the sentences are to run concurrently.
